


Sanctify

by cikidoa1



Category: Monsta X (Band), SISTAR
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Death, Domestic stuff here & there, Exorcisms, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, References to Drugs, Religion, Spiritual, Supernatural Elements, Trauma, flirty Minhyuk is always a bonus, many cameos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-21 19:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14921640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cikidoa1/pseuds/cikidoa1
Summary: When Child Protection worker Hyunwoo agrees to take over the case of a child with a history of multiple placement breakdowns, he doesn’t know what he’s getting into. No knowledge and theories covered in his university textbooks prepared him with the necessary skill to explain what he is about to encounter.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Drew inspiration from my real-life job as well as my love for the morbid.  
> For those completely unfamiliar with the concept of out-of-home care (in particular, foster care), there is a glossary in the End Notes.  
> Warnings in advance for heavy, serious concepts such as childhood abuse, trauma and death (as you can see in the tags... although I don't want to give too much away).  
> Fic will be updated fortnightly, so please leave comments & feedback as they're greatly appreciated!
> 
> Special thanks to X, this fic is for you♥
> 
> Enjoy.

_Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul_  
_August 12 20xx, 4:30PM_

“Oh, fuck!”

“Has anyone called 119?”

“Shit, do we know if there are people inside?”

They watch in horror as the flames consume the house, ripping and breaking through the walls too easily. Thick, misshapen smoke billows into the sky as the windows crack and splinter with a loud hiss. Soon, the fire makes its way to the second floor, engulfing everything in sight without mercy.

By the time the firetruck arrives, the roof is already in danger of collapsing. Firefighters disperse from inside the vehicle and rush to the scene, carrying the equipment with them. The entire neighbourhood is in chaos, from people praying anxiously to others reporting the situation on social media.

After what feels like eternity, a firefighter eventually makes it out of the house, carrying a small, limp body in his arms. “We have a child here!” he shouts.

“What about his carers?” someone in the crowd asks, looking alarmed. “I’m their neighbour, and I know that he’s in care.”

The firefighter pauses, then shakes his head. Seeing the other’s crestfallen expression, he then proceeds to yell to his team members, “Call DCP!”

 

* * *

 

 _Department of Child Protection of South Korea (DCP)_  
_Seoul District - Head Office_  
_August 14 20xx, 9:07AM_

“Son Hyunwoo, wait for me!”

The tall man, broad-shouldered and dressed in a simple, navy cardigan over a white formal shirt, turns to see his friend almost running to catch up to him. “Morning to you too, Minhyuk,” he says with a smile.

“Getting coffee from across the road too, eh?” the other asks brightly, gesturing towards his own mug. He wears a striped dress shirt with a rainbow pin on his right collar.

“You know my routine. I always need my caffeine fix.” Hyunwoo taps his ID tag on the censorpad, and the glass door opens, allowing them to exit the building.

“So, what did you get up to on the weekend?”

“Nothing much. Just chilling.”

“You should’ve joined us, we played a match near the gallery!” Minhyuk loosens his collar slightly, letting out a small sigh at the hot weather. “It was Case Workers versus the rest of us in Psych and Legal, We beat you guys 3-0.” He grins in triumph, running a hand through his wine-coloured hair.

“Not sure I would’ve made a difference had I played or not.” Hyunwoo chuckles. He admits that although he considers himself sporty, he is definitely not an expert in all kinds of sport.

“Yeah, but at least I could’ve seen you wearing the jersey.” The other shrugs, nonchalant. “Show off those muscles!”

Before Hyunwoo can dismiss his friend’s embarrassing remark, he notices a familiar figure standing just outside the café door with another person who can easily pass as a model, judging from the height and killer proportions. “Good morning, sir,” he greets with a polite bow.

“Hey, kid.” Kim Hyungsoo, Hyunwoo’s Team Leader, has concern written all over his face. “And Lee Minhyuk. How are ya?”

“I’m good, sir,” the latter responds, seeming more interested in the stranger standing beside the older man. “And this is…?”

“Ah. Of course,” Hyungsoo mumbles with a nod and turns to the said person. “Chae Hyungwon. He’s the new person joining the Legal team to replace Go Junggi.”

“Right, the legal guys wouldn’t stop talking about you at soccer yesterday.” Minhyuk smiles. “They never said you’d be this good-looking, though. Are you single?” Hyunwoo nudges him, almost wanting to shove a sock in his mouth. Minhyuk is always too loud and 80% of everything he says is basically TMI (even with a superior standing right there), and Hyunwoo probably wouldn’t be friends with him if he wasn’t such a nice person.

The lawyer, whose name is apparently Hyungwon, only chuckles. “I put as much care into my looks as I do my GPA, maybe that’s why.” He stands out too much out of them, with his formal attire and sleek leather shoes that Hyunwoo thinks probably cost a week’s worth of his salary.

Hyungsoo ushers Hyunwoo into the café, leaving the other two distracted and converse between themselves. “I need to talk to you for a second.”

“Is everything okay, sir? You don’t look too well.”

“Um,” Hyungsoo starts, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Has Bora done the handover for …the child?” His voice has descended, as he is wary they are in a public place.

Hyunwoo shrugs. “Yeah. She did it on Friday. I signed the report and e-mailed a PSA about it.”

“Okay, well, I have yet to check my e-mails. I still have about a thousand I haven’t even filed… anyway, we have received information that the carers died in a fire over the weekend.”

The younger man’s eyes widen. “ _What?_ ”

“The house was burned to the ground. The cops are still trying to piece things together, but it was probably arson. God knows.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s been placed with a temporary carer but the Hub has sent out a Referral for a long-term placement. We don’t have much time.” Hyungsoo sighs, sipping his Espresso in worry. “Let’s hope one of the agencies gets back to us with an answer.”

Suddenly everything is too much for Hyunwoo; he certainly did not see this coming. “Is Bora coming in today?”

“She might, yeah.” The Team Leader nods. “After all, she managed the kid for almost three years. She pretty much knows the case inside and out—there is no way she’ll stay quiet after hearing the news.” Hyunwoo makes a noise of approval, then rushes to get his coffee order before it becomes too crowded.

 

 _Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMP)_  
_11:10AM_

Detective Lee Jeongmin narrows his eyes at the large portion of text on his computer screen. “ _’The fire is thought to have been caused by faulty wiring, causing the electrical appliances in the house to overheat and then combust…_ ’” he reads to himself, tapping the pen between his fingers. “ _’The fire is thought to have started from the back of the house, then into the kitchen and lounge before travelling upstairs, to where the bedrooms are.’_ ”

“Whatcha reading?” another detective, Noh Minwoo asks as he returns to his seat with a tuna sandwich.

“A report from the house fire in Mapo.”

“Oh, I heard about that one. Two people died, right?”

Jeongmin bites his thumb, seeming lost in thought.

“Yeah… but it’s weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… here, listen to this. _‘The adults’ bedroom was destroyed first, despite the location being the furthest from the stairs. In contrast, the child’s bedroom seemed to have suffered the least damage. Despite the charred wallpaper and half of the room covered in soot, the bed remains intact. This is the complete opposite to the rest of the house, of which 80% was blackened by the fire by the end of the intervention by the Fire Department.’_ ”

“The child’s bedroom…?” Minwoo frowns. “The child was the only survivor, right?”

“Yeah!”

“That is fucking weird.”

“It even says here that some of the kids’ toys were saved and given to the child to keep.”

“What happened after that?”

“Crisis Care has been contacted.”

Minwoo’s expression immediately turns into sympathy upon realisation. “Oh, no. Poor kid.”

“Yeah. Tell me about it.” Jeongmin shakes his head. “I guess we can’t do much now that DCP has taken over the matter.”

But he still can’t get over the strange report.

 

 _Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul_  
_1:45PM_

Kim Dasom is nervous. No, this is different from the usual _Only-one-piece-of-that-dress-left-and-it’s-not-payday-yet_ or the _I’m-being-chased-by-a-loan-shark_ nervous. When she received the urgent call on Saturday afternoon, she hadn’t expected that she would accept a placement for an 11-year-old who had just recently lost both of his carers and was forced to get used to a whole new carer, a whole new set of routines, only for it to be temporary. Since it was an emergency, there was no time for the Hub to send a referral out so she had no idea what the child was going to be like, other than the brief summary given to her over the phone.

She can’t forget the moment he appeared at her doorstep: It was close to 10PM, his hair was dishevelled and he reeked of smoke, with traces of soot all over his face. He was dressed in similarly unkempt clothes and he only had a pair of dirty sandals on. She was astonished at the fact that the hospital hadn’t bothered to clean him up, but she figured the Department must have pressured them considering it was a weekend crisis, not leaving much time. The child was holding a small, ragged teddy bear; upon a closer look, there was a sewn writing across its chest, which Dasom figured must have originally spelt _HIM_ but much of the _H_ had long fallen off so it just says _IM_.

The Family Resources Employee (FRE)—a nice guy named Gunhee whom she had dealt with a few times before—who had transported the child, apologized profusely for how things had turned out, especially on a weekend. He explained that the child had lost his carers and house earlier that afternoon, in what he described as a “terrible and tragic house fire”. And since the child’s family was barely in the picture, DCP has always taken a strong stance in his case.

The child has barely spoken since he entered her apartment—and Dasom understands that—but the child has been refusing to eat, and when forced, would scream at her and wreak havoc. As of today, he has smashed five of her plates, cracked a window and caused dents on her walls. It is important to note here that the boy has not injured himself throughout the process—but also that it seems like he would not care even if he did.

Now, Dasom has been a respite carer for almost a year and she is used to the many antics of traumatised children. Children who miss their family, their old carers, a sense of familiarity and even those who just want to assert control over the situation they did not choose to be in. But this child (“His name is Changkyun,” Gunhee had said, but it’s not like the child ever responds whenever Dasom calls him by name) is different. Changkyun is different. Dasom does not know what it is, but she feels uncomfortable whenever she catches the boy’s stare every now and then. Like a dark vibe, an unsettling feeling she cannot simply wash out. Sure, Dasom feels guilty for thinking this way to a child who just wants to have a place to stay, even if it’s only for a while, but she can’t shake off the feeling that accepting the placement was a mistake.

And most of her nervousness is probably due to what she saw earlier, just before lunchtime.

_You did not see the kid light up the stove without touching the button. You did not see him do it._

Then again, she blames her tired mind and tells herself that he did no such thing because after she blinks her eyes the stove was completely off.

 _You’re thinking strange things because you heard his previous carers died in a fire_ , she tells herself.

Still, she is sitting in the kitchen (because what if Changkyun breaks another plate?), staring at her phone on the countertop and waiting for a call. She has previously told the Department that the placement can’t really go on for more than three days as she has to go back home to Kwangju tomorrow to attend a funeral, and knowing the system she can only cross her fingers and hope for the best.

“Miss.” Dasom almost jumps. She turns to see Changkyun stand in the archway connecting the kitchen with the dining table. “Yes, Changkyun?”

The boy tilts his head. “Let’s play a game. I’m bored.”

“A game?” Dasom asks, turning in her seat so she is face-to-face with him. “Have you gone through all the boardgames in your room?”

“Yeah. They’re all boring.”

She sighs softly. “Okay, what do you want to play?”

Changkyun’s eyes glow mischievously. “Hide and seek.”

 

 _DCP_  
_Seoul District_  
_2:07PM_

When he hears the familiar sound of clacking heels approaching his way, Hyunwoo quickly scrambles around to hide his kebab under his desk—but he should know better than to even try.

“I can smell food, Son Hyunwoo.”

 _Dammit._ “Hey Bora, how are you?” he asks in an attempt to sound chirpy, carefully pushing the kebab into his backpack under the table.

The woman raises an eyebrow, pointing at a piece of neglected lettuce next to his keyboard. “And that?”

“Hahaha, what is this doing here,” Hyunwoo mumbles unconvincingly as he chucks the vegetable into his bin. “Anyway, long time no see.”

“How many times have I told you not to eat at your desk? It’s summer and if we get an ant infestation we know who to blame!” she says, crossing her arms. “Also I saw you last week, you moron. ‘Long time no see’ my butt.”

“I was typing up QCRs, so I had no time to go out for lunch,” Hyunwoo reasons. “I knew you’d show up, though.”

“Good.” Bora pushes her long hair back, looking smug. “And yet you were still eating at your desk.”

“Again, not the point.”

“Fine. So I assume you’ve heard about what happened to Im Changkyun?”

“Yeah, TL told me earlier.”

“There’s something I forgot to include in my handover report,” Bora says, taking the empty seat from the desk next to Hyunwoo’s. “It’s the reason why Changkyun’s family refuses to come forward.”

Hyunwoo blinks.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out-of-home care is a broad term for the different types of care for children who are unable to live with their parents and, therefore, have been taken under the guardianship of the government. Please note that although Korea has its own out-of-home care system, this fic utilises the Australian model, which I am more familiar with; therefore, it does not reflect the reality of Korea's fostering care services and most of the terms used are more relevant to the Australian context (unless specified otherwise). With that being said, I try my best to make the story and my writing style fit the setting as much as possible.
> 
> Glossary:  
> \- carer: an individual who provides care for a child under a placement arrangement  
> \- in care: a child who is 'in care' is defined as a child who is in a placement arrangement. When a child is formally in care, their legal guardian is the Department of Child Protection (DCP)  
> \- Department of Child Protection (DCP): also referred colloquially as 'the Department', is a government body assisting in the administration of this service  
> \- case worker: also called 'case manager', is the primary person representing DCP who manages the child's placement and, as a DCP employee, has been granted the power and authority to make decisions in the best interest, and for the wellbeing of, the child  
> \- Hub: the colloquial term for DCP's Referrals and Matching Centre/Unit, where any referral for a child in care that comes in is matched to a potential carer; this can be a Departmental carer or external agency carer. To do matching, a number of factors are considered, including the child's background, trauma history and behaviour  
> \- Crisis Care: DCP's afterhours, on-call service. It provides general information as well as counselling for people in crisis situations, e.g. when there are concerns regarding a child's wellbeing  
> \- Family Resources Employee (FRE): a person employed by DCP to assist with transporting of the child, delivery of resources, supervising contact etc  
> \- respite care: defined as a form of care that is temporary, as opposed to long-term. Respite carers look after children for short periods of time, e.g. a couple of days or a weekend. Respite carers are trained and assessed the same way as general foster carers  
> \- Quarterly Care Review (QCR): DCP case workers must meet with the child alone on a quarterly basis to assess their wellbeing, document their progress in the placement and encourage the child to express their wishes regarding their living situation


	2. Scissors, Paper, Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changkyun finds a placement.

"What do you mean?" Hyunwoo asks as Bora motions for him to follow her into one of the conference rooms. He sees Hyungsoo sitting on the other end of the long table, going through a bunch of documents. "Oh." Hyunwoo can't help the sense of unease sliding through him—why is everyone behaving so oddly? Bora closes the door behind him and joins the Team Leader, and Hyunwoo takes the empty chair next to her.

Bora takes a long, deep breath, as if she is about to deliver a long speech, and says, "So."

Hyungsoo averts his gaze from the paperwork (one of which Hyunwoo recognises as the Handover Report Bora provided him) and makes eye contact with Hyunwoo. "I believe Bora has gone through a lot of what you need to know about little Changkyun."

"Yeah... yeah, she did." The younger man looks at him, then Bora, then back to him again, looking unsure. "Can someone tell me what is going on?" He does not like this ominous vibe he is getting one bit.

Bora and Hyungsoo shoot each other a glimpse before gesturing towards the several documents on the table. "Look, in my handover I did write that the boy has moved placements many times because either the carer couldn't cope or because of a change in the carer's circumstances. And that the Department has failed to get in contact with family because, well, none of them has come forward or made an attempt to do so."

"That's what you said, yes."

"Okay, well. I might not have been completely transparent with you." Bora tucks her long hair behind her right ear—a habit Hyunwoo has noticed she displays when she is uncomfortable. "We received word from SMP earlier that, um, there were unnatural aspects to the fire." She clears her throat. "Which kinda ties in with the whole, you know, changing carers stuff."

"I... don't understand how," Hyunwoo replies, confused.

"Some of Changkyun's previous carers have gotten into accidents, fallen ill or passed away," Hyungsoo takes over, relieving the burden of explaining off Bora's shoulders. "Accidents are accidents—that's what we all like to think. But the problem here is that we have noticed a pattern."

"Whoa, hold up." The case worker can't believe what he is hearing. "I already have so many questions."

Bora nods. "Go ahead."

"Are you implying that those carers had those things happen to them, which made them send Changkyun away? So this whole time we have had multiple carer deaths but it's been kept a secret?"

"Well, those incidents usually happened after the placement ended. After Changkyun moved. So it's not necessarily that the placements ended because the carers suddenly became ill while caring for him. For example, here," Bora pulls up the Handover Report and points to the exhaustive Care Arrangement section. "This carer, Park Sojin, got into a car crash long after Changkyun left her care, and is paralysed from waist down—while another carer, Joohee, had a heart attack a few days after Changkyun's placement ended, and managed to recover. Park Gyuri was diagnosed with cancer a month after Changkyun left and passed away before Christmas last year. Like we said, these look like coincidences—and they could be, I'm not completely dismissing that possibility—but when you factor Changkyun in, that's when you start to become suspicious." 

Hyungsoo nods. "As you can see, we wouldn't have found out had we not heard about the aftermath—and not all Case Managers have access to that kind of information about the carers."

"When you said 'some of his previous carers'... you meant not all of his previous carers experienced that bad luck, right?"

"Yeah."

Hyunwoo lets out a sigh. "Okay. I admit that it's sort of freaky. But what does this have to do with the last placement? What about the fire was unnatural?"

"Apparently, Changkyun's room was only half-burnt even though it was closer to the stairs, which was how the fire travelled to the second floor." Hyungsoo pushes the police report to the front of Hyunwoo. "Meanwhile, Bang Yongguk and Song Jieun's bedroom was destroyed first even though it was far at the end of the corridor. It's the first time we have a carer—or should I say, carers—pass away in the middle of placement. "

Hyunwoo is slightly getting annoyed with all the beating around the bush. "So what are you trying to say?"

"After finding out about the fire, I was reminded of an old conversation I had with a family member—Changkyun's aunt," Bora continues. "She said that the reason the family has been refusing to take Changkyun back is..." She pauses, lowering her voice. "...because they believe he has demonic powers."

Hyunwoo blinks once.

Then twice.

He stares at both of them, expecting either of them to just yell  _Gotcha, it was a joke!—_ which, he wouldn't mind anyway, since he is used to pranks and getting pranked on.

But the two senior workers don't budge, and are not showing any signs of deception. 

Then it hits Hyunwoo: They're dead serious.

_Okay, this is ridiculous._

"You're suggesting that the family sent him away three years ago because they thought he was the  _Devil's incarnate?_ " Hyunwoo asks incredulously. "They made a child that young—he was only  _eight—_ experience the trauma of neglect and moving from placement to placement? How many placement changes has he had since he first came into care?" He looks at the Handover Report, counting the names of carers listed. "Seven. He has moved  _seven_ times!"

"They believe that Changkyun drove his parents' car off a cliff using his powers and that he probably placed a curse upon every carer who ended the placement out of spite." Hyungsoo shakes his head. 

"...Is that why the Family Court is still on the fence about granting the Until 19 Order?" Hyunwoo is starting to piece things together. "But he is just a kid! How could they force him to suffer just because of their... beliefs?"

"As you can see, Changkyun is under a two-year protection order, which expires in December." Bora turns to the next page, motioning to the Legal and Finances section. "An uncle—his father's brother, I believe—actually expressed interest in caring for him, but..." 

_Now this wasn't in the report._

"But he moved overseas last year and we've lost contact with him ever since. So, at present, no family members have come forward."

"Do you two honestly believe Changkyun had anything to do with whatever happened to his previous carers? Even the recent fire?"

Hyungsoo shakes his head. "What we think doesn't matter. What the family suggested may not be logical and can't be used in a court of law, but we still need to be careful so the police don't link any of the other incidents to Changkyun, or everything will go pear-shaped."

At this point, Hyunwoo doesn't know whether to thank them both for the additional information or not. It's like he's starring in his own B-list horror movie. "One last question." He leans forward. "Does this mean we may have a chance for him to be granted the Until  19 Order?"

"It seems like a straightforward yes." Bora hands him a document, which Hyunwoo can now see is the legal papers pertaining the case. "For this case, you'll be working with the newbie, Chae Hyungwon."

Hyunwoo takes his eyes off of the paper, mouthing an "oh".

_This ought to be interesting._

 

_The Hub  
_ _3:11PM_

The entire team is panicking because they know Dasom  too well _—_ and when Dasom has made a decision, it's final. No negotiations. 

"She wants him out by today," Senior Referral Officer Kim Bona emphasises, going through the list of carers she has up on her screen. "She has a family arrangement tomorrow so she won't negotiate, and no agencies are taking him."

Wu Xuanyi, another Referral Officer, comments, "Well, we've exhausted the entire list, which is why we sent the referral out in the first place."

"What about the new carers who just went through Panel last week?" Matching Officer Jung Sewoon suggests, sipping the cinnamon latte he bought during his late lunch break. "Oh wait, it says on the file that they're not ready until Friday."

Xuanyi glances at Sewoon's drink in envy, but reminds herself that she is in the middle of a detox program.  _Ah, the pain of beauty_. She sighs. "Are we talking about Choi Minhwan and Kim Yulhee? They only take children under seven."

"No, no, Kim Hyojung and Kang Jihyun." Sewoon points at the said carers' page on the system. 

Bona walks over to his computer and  reads the profile. "They're the ones who are, like, super trauma-informed, right?" she asks. "I remember all the fuss when they were being assessed."

"Yeah. Hyojung is an  Education Assistant at a private school... and Jihyun is a hospital physiotherapist."

"So they both work full-time?" 

Sewoon skims through the tabs. "There's a note here that says Hyojung is dropping down to three days as of next week so it will make things easier with Jihyun's on-call shifts."

"Do you think they can possibly take him if we fund afterschool care until Friday?" 

"We'll have to consult with the kid's Case Manager and Team Leader since funding comes from the District Director," Xuanyi advises, standing up. "It's still a better option compared to a group home. The last thing he needs is sharing his space with 10 other kids under one roof _—_ it's going to further upset him."

"Who is the Case Manager?" 

"Yoon Bora... wait, it's changed now." Sewoon frowns at the name on the file. "It's Son Hyunwoo. I'll give him a ring."

 

Hyunwoo is, again, in the middle of doing QCRs when his phone begins to ring, interrupting his train of thoughts. The word  _Hub_   flashes angrily across the caller ID screen, and he knows this must be about Changkyun. He picks it up with a rushed, "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Jung Sewoon from the Hub."

"Ah yes, how can I help?"

"We found potential carers for little Changkyun."

Hyunwoo almost stands up from his seat. "Really?"

"Kim Hyojung and Kang Jihyun. They live in Yongsan-gu."

"So that would be about... half an hour from Kim Dasom's, which isn't too bad." Hyunwoo leans in his seat, stretching his free arm.

"Yes. They both w ork full-time but Hyojung is reducing her work hours next week." 

"Which means possible afterschool care until Friday." He's fairly certain this suggestion will get an automatic approval from the District Director anyway considering how familiar the Department is with Changkyun's case as well as how desperate they are to find a placement for him. "It doesn't hurt to try asking," he says, typing up a quick e-mail to Hyungsoo about this. "Hopefully they take him so we'll have one less problem to worry about."

He can hear Sewoon sigh with relief on the other side of the line. "Great. We'll contact them and if they say yes, we'll do a Matching Meeting."  

 

 _Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul  
_ _4:00PM_

"We haven't made a mistake, have we?" Hyojung turns to the woman standing by the big glass window, enjoying her cup of tea. "You don't think it's too soon for us to take in a long-term placement?  We did initially say to them that we could start next week, not tonight. "

"Why the sudden cold feet?" Jihyun asks. "You were so certain  just half an hour ago _—_ we both were. We went over the CAR together and we accepted it. You've cleaned the entire house, like, three times."

"I know. It's just... this is our first placement. Ever. And we're already taking in a child with such a complex history." Hyojung leans back on the couch. "I'm glad I'm dropping to part-time now. That way I can stay home more."

Jihyun saunters over to her and sits down. "Hey, hey. Remember what you said last night?"

"I said a lot of things last night." Hyojung laughs, teasing her wife.

Hearing this, Jihyun's cheeks turn a shade of pink.  "You... seriously," she starts before shaking her head with a smile and pushing up against the other woman to lean on her shoulder. "You've always wanted this. And you said that no matter what happens, we'll be alright as long as we're together."

"I did." Hyojung nods, staring off into the space. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"I know we can do this," Jihyun adds affectionately. "We'll be great mums, Hyorin."

The ends of Hyojung's lips curve upwards when she heard the nickname. "We will." 

They stay like that for a while, watching the clock, before Jihyun suddenly asks, "Do you think he'll like McDonald's? Maybe we should get McDonald's."

Hyojung gives her a sharp glare, and Jihyun laughs.

"That kid's going to love it here."

 

_Kim Dasom's residence  
_ _4:37PM_

"Okay, thank you."

Dasom hangs up and slips her phone back into her pocket.  _Good_ . Now that Changkyun is confirmed to leave today, she can breathe easily (she was getting more anxious by the minute in case there were no calls). She stops walking and calls out, "Changkyun, come out."

The house is silent.

"Changkyun, come out please, we need to pack your things."

Still, no response.

Dasom isn't a really patient person, especially when she isn't getting her way. She doesn't normally like being it, but she also has to pack up for tomorrow and her train leaves early in the morning _—_ and to be honest, she is petrified at the thought of having to face her relatives before the funeral, which is probably why she isn't handling this situation in the best way. 

"Chang _—_ " She barges into her bedroom only to find it empty. She turns on her heels, about to try the other rooms when she hears a knock from behind her.

She throws a glance at the room again, alarmed. It's still empty.

Another knock.

A smirk crawls over her mouth as she narrows her eyes at the large, tightly shut wardrobe across the room.  _Aha._ If this kid isn't going to give himself up then she may as well entertain him for a bit.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

The knocking stops, making her even more confident as to where the boy is hiding. She tiptoes towards the wardrobe, and all she can think of is how she is going to get this stupid game over with. That's when she gets an idea: she'll try scaring him.

_That should do it._

When she arrives right in front of the wardrobe, she holds her breath before opening the door in a quick, sudden motion.

"Come out _—_ "

 

_Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul  
_ _7:_ _08_ _PM_

As Hyunwoo cruises down the neighbourhood, he spots his house in the distance and notices his porch lights are off.  _Huh._  He usually isn't the first one home. 

He pulls into the driveway, careful not to run over the neighbour’s trashbags that are laid outside (they always have to leave them a tad too close to his way in, don’t they?). Opening the garage door, he tilts his head when he sees the garage light flickering.  _Oh great_ , he thinks.  _That needs changing._

What a perfect way to end the day. 

Once in, he turns off the engine, grabs his backpack and gets out of the silver Hyundai i30. He's exhausted, and decides the lights will have to wait until tomorrow. Traffic was shitty and he had to hold himself back, multiple times, from actually pulling down the window and yelling at stupid people who clearly should not be on the road. It makes him miss the days he used to take public transport to work, but the responsibilities that come with his current job make it much more practical to drive. 

Stepping inside the house, Hyunwoo smiles in relief.  _It’s great to be home,_  he thinks as he places his shoes on the shoerack. He turns on the lights and since it’s rare for him to reach home early, he hasn’t really noticed how empty and barren the house looks with nobody home. And there is a note on the dining table.

 _Can you please heat up the samgyetang for dinner?  
__I’m coming home a bit late today  
__See you soon, xoxo_  

Hyunwoo takes off his jacket, hanging it on one of the chairs and makes his way to the fridge. He pauses to see a drawing in crayon, of a sunflower and a bee, plastered on the top freezer. It was done by a child on his caseload who he used to have a good relationship with, and was reunified at the end of last year. The child  drew it for him to thank him, which Hyunwoo really appreciated; he had decided to bring it home and stick it on the fridge as a reminder of why he chose this line of work.

While the food is heating up, Hyunwoo decides to laze around on the couch and watch TV. Not that there’s much to watch these days anyway—all variety shows look the same and he is not a huge fan of dramas. So he casually flicks through the channels to kill time, and that’s when he feels his phone buzz in his pocket.

_From: Joohoney  
_ _Received: 7:20PM  
_ _Just got home, will fist you in about the kid tomorrow_

Hyunwoo raises an eyebrow. 

_From: Joohoney  
__Received: 7:21PM  
__*FILL  
__Fuck, sorry typing while eating_  

He chuckles, shaking his head before spending the next 15 mins or so preparing dinner and watching a  _Running Man_  rerun.

"I'm home!" His ears perk up when he hears the familiar voice as the front door is opening. "Babe, are you in?"

"I'm here." 

"Can you give me a hand, please?" 

Hyunwoo immediately gets up from the couch and heads over to his boyfriend, who is trying to get through the door with four full grocery bags. "Whoa... Hoseok, did you raid the entire supermarket?"

The other hands him two bags. "We have the party at Mingyu's this weekend, remember?"

O _h,_  Hyunwoo almost wants to say. _Right. The party._

Despite the older man's expressionless face, Hoseok knows. "You forgot, didn't you?" he points out with a small sigh. Considering how long they've been together, it's become telepathy, almost. "I've been talking about it for weeks."

"I know, I know." Hyunwoo tries not to drop the bag of eggs (again, like he did last week). "Sorry, it just slipped my mind."

"Okay, well, I bought lots of frozen stuff so it won't take long to prepare come Sunday."

Hyunwoo thinks it's kind of funny how they manage to make this work despite the fact that neither of them can cook—although he can't lie and say that, over the course of ten years, Hoseok's cooking skills have improved immensely.

But then again, when you're stuck living with someone like Hyunwoo, having the ability to at least not burn an omelette is always useful.

"How was work?" Hoseok takes out the shopping, slowly storing them in the fridge.

"The usual," the taller man replies. "Bora came in for a bit."

"Isn't she supposed to be on maternity leave?"

"Yeah." Hyunwoo almost laughs at the stacks of ramyun, but decides not to comment. "But we had a bit of a... situation, and she had to tie up some loose ends. You know, with the case she handed over to me." 

Hoseok nods in understanding as he grabs a bag of apples and bananas to put them in a fruit bowl. "How long did you say she was gonna be away for?"

"Seven months? I think."

"Will you give her case back or do you get to keep it when she returns?"

Hyunwoo scratches the back of his neck. "I think I'm keeping it."

"Seven months is a long time, you might already be attached to the kid by then," Hoseok says with a grin, his eyes turning into crescents.

"I guess," Hyunwoo says absentmindedly; for a moment he thinks about the history of the case, which Bora told him about, and he feels his brain go into overdrive.  Something in his gut is telling him that this case is more than it appears to be.

_Will I be able to handle it?_

Noticing his boyfriend's hesitance,  Hoseok  comes over and puts an arm around him. "Hey," he whispers. "You're gonna do great, yeah? I know you always do."

Hyunwoo pats Hoseok's soft, warm hand and intertwines their fingers together. "This case is a bit different from what I've always had before."

"Isn't that why you chose to work in Child Protection?" Hoseok asks, kissing Hyunwoo's neck softly. "You're always on your feet and no day's ever the same. You like the challenge."

"Yeah."

"Come on, let's eat. I'm starving." Hoseok tugs the end of Hyunwoo's sleeve, gesturing for him to sit at the dining table. 

Might as well, since Hyunwoo is starving. "How were the kids today?" He takes his seat, which is the closest to the side door. It's always been  _his_  seat, as it's easy access to the backyard—an important detail when smoking is one's form of stress relief. Hoseok managed to quit a couple of years ago (which Hyunwoo is envious of), but considering how stressful his workload at DCP is, Hyunwoo doesn't think he will be able to do it anytime soon. 

"They were good, one of them spilled paint on me so I had to get changed." Hoseok pulls on his polo shirt (showing a colourful, silly text that reads  _Blue Moon Kindy_ splashed across it), pouting. "It was my favourite top, too." 

Hyunwoo smiles. "I thought you were wearing something different this morning."  _The samgyetang smells good_ , he decides as he pours some into his bowl.

"Yeah I had to wash it at work and leave it to dry. Will pick it up tomorrow."

And just as Hyunwoo is about to bite into his food, Hoseok asks the one question he was hoping he could avoid for the night.

"So, the garage lights—"

_Dammit._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will be named after Korean nursery rhymes and it will be up to you to interpret how each title relates to the story^^  
> Comments and feedback are welcome!
> 
> Glossary:  
> \- Protection order: there are four different types of protection orders; time-limited and long-term are the only two that result in a child coming into DCP's care. Long-term protection order refers to a type of protection order granted to a child to remain in care until they're of legal age, after which they can officially leave care. As 19 is the Korean legal age (international age; 20 if using the Korean age of reckoning), this fic uses the term 'Until 19 Order'. Long-term protection orders are able to be revoked if the child's parents, for example, contest and/or have shown enough evidence to DCP that they are fit to care for the child; however the order can only be revoked by the original person who granted the original order  
> \- Panel: the Foster Care Assessment Panel. After a potential carer/carers have been thoroughly assessed and attended prep training, the assessor will submit their assessment report to the Panel, who will then inform DCP whether the application is approved.  
> \- Reunification: refers to when a child in care leaves their placement and returns to their family. It's an exhausting process as DCP needs to work alongside the family for pre-planning, assessment, transition and post-reunification support to prevent the child to bounce back into the system. Reunification is the ultimate goal for foster care and primary permanency option  
> \- Matching Meeting: as explained in the previous chapter, when doing a matching DCP needs to consider questions such as: Does the carer have the skills and capacity to take in the child for the required period? What does the carer's household look like and how will the child fit into the dynamics? What commitments does the carer have and will these interfere with the child being placed into their care? If the child is under a certain age, will they require a car seat, a pram and other equipment? etc  
> \- Group home: formally known as residential care (colloquially 'resi care'), which is the most popular (and, surprisingly, the least expensive) foster care option in Korea. A number of children reside in a safety-approved house with workers on rotational shift  
> \- Child Arrangement Referral (CAR): is the referral document for the child, compiled by the Case Manager and/or Team Leader and sent out via the Hub when sourcing non-Departmental carers. In this case, Hyorin and Soyou are DCP carers however they still receive information about the child through the CAR. The CAR contains things such as the child's personal details, background as to why they came into care, social and family relationships, health etc; it is important to include as much detail about the child for a carer to consider taking them in. When the child ends up going to a DCP carer, the Hub will advise agencies and cancel the referral


End file.
